ARCHIVE

MORE

People from all over will flock to Marion this weekend for Chingawassa Days.

More than 1,400 volunteer hours go into planning, setting up, working, and cleaning up from the event with 30 volunteers assisting Thursday and Friday to set everything up.

“To clean up, community service workers help begining Saturday night and we work until about 2 a.m.,” Margo Yates said. “A smaller group of us comes back at 7 a.m. on Sunday and works about six hours to finish.”

This year’s headlining act is contemporary country duo Love and Theft, who will take the stage at 9:15 p.m. following performances by Lexi Larsen and the Silver Bullet Band. On Friday Journey tribute band Revelation will perform at 9 p.m.

Several new attractions have been added to this year’s schedule including bike races and decorating contests, kids’ treasure hunts, karaoke, video game tournament, and a hotdog eating contest.

Several demonstrations can be enjoyed such as chain saw art carving. New children’s events will keep even the youngest entertained. They include a play dough table, knock-em down bubbles and buckets, cow patty toss — farmer style, and a tattoo parlor in the northeast shelter house.

A rhino-sculpting contest will be at 12:45 p.m. at the south picnic table, and a trampoline will be available north of the gazebo. A water balloon “war” will be at 3 p.m. at the volleyball court.

Other events include a community barbecue and ice cream social on Friday, basketball and volleyball tournaments on Saturday as well as Dinky Duck races, a 5K Rhino Run, watermelon feed, and beer garden.

A pancake feed will be available Saturday under the blue tent from 7 to 10 a.m. Children under 10 may eat free.

Register for the Saturday morning 5-K and 2-mile run/walk before 7:30 a.m. on Main St. The registration fee is $20.